The Affair at Dulwich
The Affair at Dulwich was a short story written by W. E. Johns on the eve of the Second World War and which was first published in Pearson's Magazine in September 1939. The story was subsequently gathered and published as the first story in the anthology Dr. Vane Answers the Call by Latimer House in November 1950. In the anthology, this story is followed by The Affair of the Egyptian Sorcerer. Synopsis Dr Augustus Vane offers his services to Major Ludlow. Ludlow is open minded enough to listen to him and, impressed by his skills, asks him to help recover the plans of a revolutionary aircraft engine which have been stolen. Plot (may contain spoilers - click on expand to read) War seems likely to break out in Europe. And Major Ludlow, the head of a counter espionage branch of the Intelligence Service is busier and more preoccupied than ever. A Dr Augustus Vane calls, asking to see him. To his credit, Ludlow doesn't pretend to be busy or send him away. Instead he listens and is impressed. Vane has degrees from six universities and can understand dozens of languages. However he is not a medical doctor. His particular interest is in criminology and all the branches of knowledge associated with it. However Vane is not just an intellectual. He is also an inventor and has practical skills such as a professional criminal might be expected to have. He demonstrates by breaking into Ludlow's office safe while leaving behind only a set of fake fingerprints. Vane infers that Ludlow is preoccupied with a problem which involves a safe. Ludlow tells him that a valuable set of plans about a revolutionary aircraft engine has been stolen. They believe they know who has it: an naturalised Englishman of title. He has relations in high places in England and Europe and this makes it difficult for the authorities to act without proof. If their suspicions turn out to be wrong, there would be grave consequences. The plans might be in the safe at his home in Dulwich. Vane studies a photograph of the man and notes from his face that he is a dangerous man, unscrupulous, easily moved to violence, and also cunning. Too cunning to hide the plans in such an obvious place as the safe. Nonetheless, he agrees to try and recover the plans. In the early hours of the morning, Vane and Ludlow break into the house after Vane had disconnected the power to the burglar alarms. In the study, Vane opens the safe smoothly. There are documents which prove the treachery of the man, but the plans of the engine are not there. They will be in his bedroom, Vane says. They creep stealthily upstairs. Vane first removes a pistol from under the sleeping man's pillow and then turns his attention to an oval mirror on the wall. As expected, the mirror hides a compartment with the plans. However as they leave the bedroom, the sleeping man begins to stir and then wakes up. They exit hurriedly and Vane locks the man in with a suitable tool. He then tosses some tear gas tablets into the corridor. This would keep the household staff occupied while they make their egress, he tells Ludlow calmly. The mission is successful and Vane asks rather modestly if Ludlow thinks he could be useful to the counter-intelligence service. Ludlow definitely thinks so. Characters *Dr Augustus Vane *Major Ludlow *Maxwell Aircraft Ships Places Visited Research Notes Publication History *Collected in Dr. Vane Answers the Call, Latimer House, 1950 *Collected in Dr. Vane Answers the Call, Norman Wright, 2005 References External Links Category:Short stories Category:Dr Vane short stories Category:Adult short stories